T.J. Ward is power and glower. His stare might not stop an Amtrak, but it has steered receivers off the tracks. So his sense of humor caught reporters off guard. He’s anticipating the Broncos’ Sunday night season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 7 on NBC more than most.

“I haven’t played too many prime-time games in my career, so I am definitely excited,” said the hard-hitting safety who spent the first four years of his career with the Cleveland Browns. “You see who are playing, you have friends on different teams so you make some phone calls and talk a little trash here and there. I am definitely looking forward to this season.”

Ward signed a four-year, $22.5 million free-agent contract with a $5-million signing bonus, triggering a swift defensive makeover. Cornerback Aqib Talib and pass rusher DeMarcus Ware followed, creating lofty expectations for a Broncos team that finished one victory short of its goal last season.

Ward said two weeks ago that the Broncos could have the NFL’s best defense. He didn’t back down from that prediction on Monday.

“The players we have here, the mindset the players have, you bring that together with a whole team philosophy and that’s usually how it happens,” said Ward when asked why he was so confident in this group. “You can see glimpses of that just during the workout. I am eager to see how it comes together when we are on the field. Talent-wise, it’s definitely there.”

There’s no lack of motivation. Even in conditioning workouts, there’s a constant reminder of last year’s failure.

“I know what happened in the Super Bowl. … When you need a push, you hear somebody say 35,” said defensive end Malik Jackson of the point-differential in the Super Bowl loss. “We know what happened. We have go out there and get better. And we will be.”

Troy is a former Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies beat writer for The Denver Post. He joined the news organization in 2002 as the Rockies' beat writer and became a Broncos beat writer in 2014 before assuming the lead role ahead of the 2015 season. He left The Post in 2015.

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